CUMBERLAND --- After suffering a 39-point shellacking two nights earlier, Woonsocket High got back on track in a big way on Friday night.
Seniors Kailey Fugere and Michelle Brayboy had superb games for the Villa Novans, who used an 18-point run midway through the second half to breeze to a 58-33 victory over Cumberland High in their Division I-North matchup at the Clippersâ€™ Wellness Center.
The Villa Novans, who improved to 4-2 in the division and 6-3 overall, were coming off an ugly 70-31 loss on the road to mighty Bay View Academy, but put that game in their rearview mirrors and responded with a strong second-half showing that put away their hosts.
Fugere, the latest member of the Novansâ€™ 1,000-point club, was dominant in the paint and finished the game with a game-high 29 points and 18 rebounds, with 16 of her points coming in the first 12 minutes of the second half.
Brayboy only ended up with eight points, but she handed out a dozen assists and led the way defensively with six steals.
Another 12th grader, Caitlyn Marcoux, also contributed to the Villa Novansâ€™ cause with 12 points, and junior Amanda Sloan, who received words of praise from head coach George Coderre after the game, had seven points and nine boards.
The Clippers, a senior-less team who two weeks ago, won the White Division championship of the Smithfield Boosters Clubâ€™s Holiday Classic, were guided by Bridget Hollenbeckâ€™s nine points, freshman Maddie Andrewsâ€™s eight, and Bridget Connorsâ€™s seven.
The Villa Novans took charge from the start, and thanks to eight points from Fugere, stormed out to a 15-6 lead and forced the Clippers (0-6 in the league, 3-8 overall) to call a time-out with 9:53 on the clock.
The Clippers managed to trim their deficit to as low as four (17-13) with 5:37 still to go in the half, but the Novans brought their lead back up to seven (26-19) at intermission.
A three-pointer by Brayboy 20 seconds into the second half gave the Novans their first double-digit lead of the contest, and shortly later, a layup by Fugere off a pass by Brayboy made it a 31-19 game.
Again, the Clippers did their best to zero in on the Novansâ€™ lead, cutting their deficit down to 34-27 with 10:08 to go, but they wouldnâ€™t score again for the next six-plus minutes, and thatâ€™s when the Novans ran off their 18 straight and zapped all the drama out of the game.
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WOONSOCKET (58): Michelle Brayboy 3 1-2 8, Allyson Cartier 0 0-0 0, Kailey Fugere 12 5-8 29, Caitlyn Marcoux 6 0-0 12, Amanda Sloan 3 1-2 7, Andrea Moyen 0 0-0 0, Shade Okowookere 0 0-0 0, Amanda Alexion 1 0-0 2. Totals: 25 7-12 58.
CUMBERLAND (33): Kaitlyn Engels 0 0-2 0, Samantha Bertheman 1 1-2 3, Bridget Hollenbeck 2 5-5 9, Maddie Andrews 4 0-2 8, Caylin Legare 2 1-2 5, Bridget Connors 3 1-4 7, Maddie Tremblay 0 1-2 1. Totals: 12 9-19 33.
Halftime: Woonsocket, 26-19. Three-point field goals: Woonsocket 1 (Brayboy).